Benchmark of Membership Programs

November 2023

This article is related to a recently completed custom research project ABA conducted on behalf of a performing arts member. Our research team is always delighted to speak with members about tailoring research projects to your organization. To learn more or submit a custom research request, simply contact your member advisor or email us at info@advisoryarts.com. 

To support a UK-based performing arts organization in the ABA membership who sought to understand the current membership structures in use at peer institutions, our researchers conducted a benchmark of 15 organizations across Europe and the United States who offer such programs.

The resulting report contains both an overview of each institution’s membership structure and insights from previous ABA research on membership best practices.

Some common trends we discovered include:

• Organizations typically separate philanthropic giving (friends/patrons) from subscriptions (ticket packages and discounts).

• Quite a few organizations have separate young people membership and patron programs.

• Membership levels are additive – the higher levels encompass the same benefits of the lower levels and add some new ones. In some cases, the benefit is the same, but the scope is different (for example, if a lower level gives access to two complimentary events, the higher level might give access to four).

Members can download the full benchmark below.